Giffords among 100 'most influential' in 'Time' list

President Barack Obama calls Rep. Gabrielle Giffords "a needed voice that cannot return soon enough" to political discourse in a tribute he wrote for Time magazine.

Marking the Arizona Democrat's inclusion on Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, Obama wrote that Giffords was not a household name before she was shot in January, but she has quickly become one for all the right reasons.

"The reason she has long been admired by people of all political stripes is that she embodies the best of what public service should be: hard work and fair play, hope and resilience, a willingness to listen and a determination to do your best in a busy world," Obama wrote.

"As hard a battle as Giffords, 40, now fights every day, she's got a strong partner in her husband, Mark Kelly, who visits her daily while training to command the space shuttle Endeavour," he wrote. "And she's got the prayers of a nation rooting for her, a model of civility and courage and unity -- a needed voice that cannot return soon enough."

Giffords is one of many political figures on the annual list, which also honors the president and first lady Michelle Obama. Also included from the Obama administration are Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Gen. David Petraeus and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson. From Congress, three Republicans made the list: House Speaker John Boehner and Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). New Jersey's Republican governor, Chris Christie, is on the list, as is Newark's Democratic mayor, Cory Booker.

Some tributes to honorees are written by journalists and scholars, but others, like the one from Obama, come from big-name players.

Conservative talker Rush Limbaugh wrote that Bachmann is "a strong spokeswoman for unapologetic conservatism" who is "neither extreme nor unreasonable" and is "energized, rather than deterred, by the caustic criticism she constantly endures." Ryan, meanwhile, was honored by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who said the congressman is someone who "want[s] to do something great."

Bachmann is the only Republican who has publicly acknowledged an interest in running for president in 2012 to be included on the list. Christie, who's shrugged off talk that he's interested in a White House bid this time around, was honored by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who is considering running for president. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who may decide to run, was on the list in 2009 and 2010, but was left off this year's.

Former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) described Boehner as "an exceptional leader" who is "neither flashy nor flamboyant." Rather, Dole said, Boehner "brings to work qualities that are infinitely more useful: integrity, decency, vast experience, a feel for how people outside the Beltway live and struggle and the deserved trust of his colleagues."

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver honored Michelle Obama and her Let's Move! initiative to fight childhood obesity. Obama is a "true revolutionary" for standing "firm in her conviction that if we all just eat better and move more, then we can fight obesity," Oliver wrote.

Former Rep. Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.), the MSNBC host and POLITICO columnist, is also on the list. The list also includes Charles and David Koch, the billionaire brothers who are major donors to conservative causes.